ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A Buncombe County nonprofit working with people leaving incarceration and those in recovery says demand for its services continues to grow as communities across Western North Carolina confront substance use, poverty and barriers to reentry.

Operation Gateway, founded by the Rev. Philip Cooper, focuses on helping “returning citizens” — people recently released from incarceration — rebuild their lives through workforce training, peer support and resource navigation.

Cooper said the organization’s work centers on removing barriers such as stigma, lack of employment opportunities and fragmented support systems that often make it difficult for people to successfully reintegrate into society.

“Our mission is to leverage lived experience to transform lives and reduce the stigma surrounding recovery and reentry,” Cooper said.

The nonprofit places a strong emphasis on leadership from people who have experienced incarceration, addiction or recovery. Cooper said those experiences help build trust and provide hope to people who may be struggling to rebuild their lives.

“Lived experience gives people something systems alone cannot always provide — hope,” he said.

According to Operation Gateway, the organization served 346 returning residents in 2025. Since its inception in January 2022, the nonprofithas also helped certify 138 community health workers and 178 peer support specialists.

The group says it connected 37 individuals to culturally aligned therapy and provided 660 rental assistance payments to support people living in recovery housing.

Cooper said those services aim to create stability through employment pathways, housing support, treatment connections and mentorship.

“Success looks like people having real access to training, employment pathways, therapy and supportive services that help them rebuild their lives,” he said.

Operation Gateway’s work comes at a time when many communities in Western North Carolina are still dealing with lingering impacts from Tropical Storm Helene, which Cooper said compounded existing challenges tied to substance use, generational poverty and incarceration.

Cooper said issues such as homelessness, addiction and violence are often concentrated in communities with limited economic opportunity. He believes stronger collaboration among organizations and more preventative approaches are needed.

“The demand for services is far greater than the supply,” he said.

Funding for Operation Gateway comes primarily from government contracts and grants, which account for more than two-thirds of its budget. The remainder comes from private foundations and individual donors. The nonprofit also receives support from the Dogwood Health Trust, which Cooper said has provided flexible operating funding.

Despite that support, Cooper said funding shortfalls sometimes force the organization to reduce staffing or adjust programs while continuing to serve the community.

One of the nonprofit’s biggest goals moving forward is establishing its own residential reentry program, which would provide more structured housing and support for people leaving incarceration.

Housing remains one of the biggest barriers to successful reentry, Cooper said, particularly for individuals with criminal records who struggle to find landlords willing to rent to them.

Demand for Operation Gateway’s services continues to rise, he added.

“Increasing for sure,” Cooper said when asked about service demand.

The organization is also planning a Reentry Symposium scheduled for April 1 in Haywood County, aimed at bringing together community partners and advocates to discuss solutions and collaboration.

Cooper said he hopes the community will better understand that people leaving incarceration deserve opportunities to rebuild their lives.

“A criminal record should never be the only thing that defines a person,” he said. “People are more than the worst thing they’ve ever done.”